What is Negative Energy in Public Spaces?

Negative energy can occur anywhere, including buildings, places in nature and in cities. When you are in an area where violence has occurred—physical, mental or verbal—there will be negative energy. There are also negative earth energies. Technology, such as electrical power stations, emits negative energy.

Virtually all of us are aware of negative energy, at least subliminally. You might have experienced the feeling of entering a place and suddenly feeling desperate to leave—for no apparent reason. Or, you may be walking in a section of a city and suddenly sense your adrenaline pumping and experience fear—yet nothing out of the ordinary is happening. You are picking up the negative energy in an area.

You may pick up on the negative energy from technology. I find it painful to shop in an electronic store, for example. The energy and all the positive ions in the air from the electricity emitted from the appliances makes me nauseous, tired and light-headed. (Note: negative ions are positive energy. Negative ions are odorless, tasteless and invisible molecules that make us feel good. They are found atop mountains, in forests, surrounding waterfalls and beaches. Negative ions produce biochemical reactions in our bodies that increase levels of the mood chemical serotonin, which helps to ease depression, alleviate stress and enhance our daytime energy.)

What is happening is a swift change in emotions as you enter a negative area. If you are feeling happy and serene, for example, and enter a space with negative energy, your sudden experience of anxiety, fear or anger is a direct result of the surrounding negative energy.

Sometimes negative energy just happens—like in a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam. You are in your happy mode, when suddenly the freeway is at a standstill. People are honking and cursing—and you find yourself abruptly feeling angry and aggressive. You have picked up on the collective consciousness.

Negative energy in buildings can show itself physically with mold and dampness. If particular areas are affected with negative energy, these areas can feel colder than the rest of the space for no apparent reason. You may get goosebumps or shiver—even though the place is warm. Sometimes the space feels heavy on your person. If the energy is dark enough, the hairs on your neck or arms may stand on end.

When you feel the effects of negative energy in public, try to simply experience the emotions you suffer and allow them to pass. In other words, if you are in a public space feeling fine and suddenly your mood changes and you feel depressed, chances are pretty good that you are simply picking up the low energy around you. Note it—the experience of depression—and let it go. If you cannot shake the negative feelings, encompass them with love and compassion and they will eventually disappear, because the negative charge will lose its strength against the stronger, positive emotions. Think: are you going to observe anger (depression, fear) or let it rule you?

Another option is to visualize golden light—filled with love and compassion—to be surrounding and protecting you. This exercise can be beneficial anytime you need to feel better.

Excerpt from Harmonious Environment, copyright 2007.